ActionsCarve CanyonsUea greatly admires the canyons which break up the desert to the south. They make the landscape far more interesting. She decides to create some of her own, creating a contrast with the mesas in the eastern part of the desert. The walls of these canyons reveal a stunning layered red and black surface, some of their walls flush with the walls of the mesas above, forming vertical drops of nearly 2 miles!

Sink Lake FurtherBorishin's activity among her wildflower fields attracts her notice, and although she arrives too late to stop it, she decides to do something about the lack of activity in the area. Returning to her deepened lake, she pushes again, and it sinks so far down that the sea to the southeast pushes back, a great finger of water carving through the soft limestone of the land like butter, arriving at the edge of the lake where it forms a mighty waterfall. Many tributaries of this new river split off and, making short work of the soft stone, begin creating systems of caves, sinkholes, and underwater streams.

ActionsThe Forest's HeartDeep withing the core of the Mistwoods was it's heart, the Boiling Sea, and at the core of the sea was a solitary island, isolated by the inhospitable waters surrounding it. While it's coast was incredibly dangerous, with slick stone cliffs eroded from the land by the tumultuous waters, further inland a paradise was forming. With the help of the hot, humid air of the sea, a lush tropical jungle was forming. Lod saw the forest heart grow and decided to help it on its way. Sweeping across the land, Lod collected samples from the lush biomes of other gods. The fruit of the God Eater's island, Uea's wildflowers, the Throok's giant fungi. Life from across the World was assembled on the island into an exotic menagerie.

Lod then promptly left the island to its devices. Cut off as it was from the rest of the world, Lod wished to see how the forest heart would grow.

Raise the SpireLod watched as many other gods built for them selves sanctuaries which they or their creations could enjoy. He decided that it was time he did the same, so in the far North, amidst some of the only raw Earth left, Lod built his bastion. He struck at the pair of islands of the coast of his snowy forests, and they erupted upwards into the sky. With a thunderous roar, they rose into a cluster of massive sea stacks, the tallest of which rose more than 3 kilometers into the sky.

Internal HeatingAs the cold of the North and the altitude began to set into Lod's spire, he decided to once again make use of the heat deep beneath the surface of the World. Carving fine channels through the rock of his spire, Lod created a path for the heat of the starlines to escape. However, his tool was not adept at such fine and detailed work as this, and several of the smaller sea stacks crumbled into the ocean as he worked. However, in the end their sacrifice proved to not be in vain, as the end result was breathtaking. A cluster of great towers reaching upwards to scrape the sky, with scattered geysers of steam erupting all across their surfaces, shrouding the spire in a thick cloud. Lod was pleased.

I. The gods in their wisdom filled the last of the empty spaces that remained on the face of the world. II. Alone of the lesser creatures of the world the Titans shared the gods' perception of Deep Time. The rest lived and thought and reproduced at a pace which far exceeded the rhythm of the Godheart.III. Many of the gods adjusted their perspective, so the passing the the ages would not seem so quick, and began to take more interest in the fragile beings which roamed the world...

ActionsLod's LimitLod lingered over his spire and looked out over what he created. It was magnificent, but as the clouds of the Mistwood gently rolled across the land, he couldn't help but be struck by how quiet it was. Lod thought about the Titans, massive and slow to action, yet unknowable in their intentions. Lod thought about the Zoel, their lives beginning and ending in an instant, yet capable of building great works that lasted the ages such as Dodeazodel. Finally, Lod thought about his spire. A great tower of stone and steam erected effortlessly, yet almost undone by his attempt to add fine details. He had built mountains, sown forests, and dug down to the starlines, but he was incapable of working on the small scale. Lod obsessed over this seemingly insurpassable limitation of his, until a solution finally hit him.

If he could not work on the scale of mortals, then he would create mortals to do it for him.

And so he returned to the Forest Heart. In the time since he left it, its ecosystem had stabilized. The eclectic mix of life calling it home adapting to life together. Amongst the countless beings of the Forest Heart, one sort in particular caught his attention. Small, 6-limbed humanoids with chitinous skin flitted through the treetops. Lod watched and wondered as they built complex hives amidst the branches of the trees. For an age he watched them, amazed at their work, but found something lacking. These creatures were perfectly suited for the purpose Lod sought, but lacked vision and creativity, and their work reflected it. Fascinating as their structures were, they were utilitarian, built for survival and nothing else.

And so Lod reached out to the beings, and shared with them his ability to wonder and dream. And Lod called out to all of the beings, and in a gentle voice spoke his first words.

You are the Skafir. You are the children of Lod. And you are capable of great things.

ActionsDrawing the SchemataThe Ternion saw how the thinking mortal races could accomplish tasks that their creators were less suited to. Casting its recollections back to its dislike of the chaotic sands, the Ternion wondered if this capricious substance could be brought under control by a lesser kind of being.

From living clay the Ternion shaped three bodies, as it had done with the Titans before, though these were not nearly so large or slow as their might forebears. The bodies lay inert and headless in the sand. The Ternion drew three circles in the sand above their necks and filled them with divine geometries describing thought and consciousness. The Ternion regarded these equations and saw that they yielded truths. The first schemata came into the world.

The schemata stood tall, with four arms. Above their necks floated brilliant circles of radiant light, filled with floating symbols describing the processes of their minds. Tripartite beings, the schemata must separately sustain their body, mind and souls, all of which can die if neglected or starved. Their bodies are sustained by food and water, their minds by discovery and learning and their souls by bringing order to chaos.

The NomadsThe schemata went forth and populated the deserts in which they were created, herding beasts and foraging for what sparse food and water was to be found in the arid wastes. Venerating their creator the Ternion they traveled the dunes as nomads, nourishing their souls by tracing elaborate mandalas in the sand, these would soon be lost to the wind, but the Ternion was pleased regardless.

The Three-All drew the first Triune Schemata and sent them to wander in the desert. Our ancestors were drifters, nomads: the Mandala-Eaters. Walking beneath the Godlines and tracing the Divine Geometries into the dunes...

ActionsBirth of the AnuraThe Throok feared for the stability of the Fractal Tool, but also deeply desired to continue spreading its beautiful patterns across the world. The Throok also desired to interact with the animate life it had created on a more personal level. The actions of Lod and The Ternion fit these goals perfectly, and so The Throok also set out to make a race.

The Throok descended into the fertile delta swamp it had created long ago to search for a suitable creature to serve as the basis for this race. It needed to be strong and sturdy, capable of building structures on a massive scale. On the edge of a pond, The Throok found exactly what it sought. A large horned frog sat on top of a wall of mud. The wall formed a rough circle nestled in the roots of a tree, forming a secluded pool of water within the pond. The Throok watched as the frog knocked down a portion of the wall and pushed fresh water into the pool, taking care not to let any of the multitude of tadpoles within escape. The frog repaired the wall and climbed back on top to keep watch over its young.

And so, having found a suitable creature, The Throok poured power into the pond. The young tadpoles matured in a matter of minutes, increasing massively in size, strength, and intellect. The adult frogs spilled out into the pond and onto the banks, blinking in the light and coming to terms with their new self awareness. But the parent frog was overwhelmed by this outpouring of power. All that was left of the doting guardian was a patch of shimmering light, a hole in space in the shape of the frog. The Throok stepped into this hole, taking on a physical form.

The frogs all turned to watch as a giant frog pulled itself up out of a patch of light much smaller than itself. It strode on two legs into the center of the pond where it still towered over them. It bore the same patterns on its skin as the multitude surrounding it, but of much brighter hue. Light shone from its eyes, and lines like thunder coursed across its body. When it croaked the Fractal Tool was visible in its glassy throat, a sphere of fine sand, constantly shifting in pattern and shape. Following the Great Frog's lead, one by one the others stood up on their hind legs, and gave their full attention as the Great Frog spoke.

"I am The Throok. I formed all the land you see about you. I formed all the life you see about you. And now I have formed you. You shall be my people, the Anura. You will follow my guidance, and together we will build many great and pleasing things."

Civilization SpreadsAnd so, the things The Throok spoke of came to pass. The Anura multiplied and spread through the swamp and along the tributaries of the great river that fed it. They were accompanied by large salamanders, whose ancestors had also been in that first pool. These salamanders became pets, food sources, and beasts of burden.

Villages and towns formed. Ponds were drained, streams were redirected, and food was grown, all shaped in the fractal forms that The Throok so loved. This all took place under the guidance of the Throok, for while the Anura were highly skilled at building, they lacked the personality and creativity to design things themselves.

But this arrangement worked, and from the patchwork of settlements, two cities formed. One near the sea was a wide city on a plain, made of sloping hills and flooded valleys formed by the Anura. The other was further upstream, on the border of swamp and forest. Here the ground was harder and there were more resources for construction. It was here that the god of the Anura took up residence. They had taken to calling her Mother Throok, and She did not object.

ActionsBe KnownSeeing more races spring forth into the world, Borishin naturally investigates. He dallies amongst the Skafir, deciding after his failure with the Zoel to abandon plans to take their forms for his own, though his research still causes much mischief.

Despite not actively seeking their attention, his numerous experiments allow many to guess at his existence, and even inspires awe and reverence in a few.

ExperimentLooking upon the Skafir, Borishin notes that they are constrained by the peculiarities of their bodies. One with the soul of an artist is stymied by his clumsy hands. What might have been a great builder is thwarted the weakness of his limbs. Seeing the problem, he decides to gift a few with the essence of his own Tools.

Those he blesses find that they can separate potions of their bodies with undue ease and, what's more exchange them amongst themselves. The artist acquires nimble hands at the cost of only a few week's bed rest, the builder strength for nothing more. Soon enough limbs of great worth are treated as heirlooms, passed from master to apprentice or father to son, the transplants maintaining their vitality even as their former owners age. With the limits of birth undone they gain unmatched adaptability.

ActionsManshesti korpaUea greatly admired the intelligence below. Finally, she thought. Life with some dignity. Still, she could do better. She wanted to create a people with a great sense of honour, respect, privacy and purity. She set to work: sculpting her subjects from mud and sand while her sister watched nearby, curious, amused. She made their eyes from two shiny dark pebbles, and cloaked them in a skin the colour of clouds. For a voice she took the roar of her waterfall, so her people would have strong steady voices which carried far.

The first Korpi animates, shivering nude on the frigid coast. He rubs his milk-white hands together for warmth and huddles close to Uea's breast. She whispers in his ear the words of the Korpi language, the tongue of the people, Korpa Kalosi. Thu zhili to, thu sutsi to, thu sutrukshi to.

Zhathbusi korpi thip bilənton sakorteThe Korpi are a hardy people, and quickly spread across the rough lands of the northeast plains. The Korpi congregate in many small towns, and spend their days farming, trading, and singing to one another. Though wary of outsiders, they are also loyal and trustworthy, and members of other races living amongst them is not unheard of.

Thu amulsusti tə razhentiThe Korpi frequently trade amongst themselves, and this gives them a greater proficiency with bartering, money, and division of labour.

ActionsMold the KlisuraIt was many ages before Salvarian awoke to realize it had been buried in mud. The god probably would have remained asleep, had there not been a disturbance in the mud that grabbed its attention. Something near the god was struggling. Waves of terror emanated from this disturbance, creating sorrow within the god’s being. Salvarian reached out to this being and spoke its first words.

Do not fear.

The words passed directly from Salvarian’s mind to the mind of the creature, for that was surely what the disturbance was. Salvarian tunneled through the mud, creating a pocket of air that surrounded the god as it moved towards the creature. What Salvarian found was a small lizard, no bigger than the god’s hand. It was covered in mud and gasping for breath having been trapped in the mud pot.

Although the creature was calm, Salvarian realized that the lizard did not understand what was happening. Nothing truly existed inside its body to allow it realize the great thing that had just occurred. Salvarian took the creature in its rocky hand. With eyes closed, the god channeled power into the tiny creature, using the surrounding mud as clay for its creation.

When Salvarian was done, the first Klisura was before the god. The creature was still small, and Salvarian felt a sense of loneliness. After thinking for a moment, the god sent out a wave of energy, calling forth the other lizards in the canyon. They came scurrying out from holes and underneath rocks. One by one, Salvarian touched them and molded them into new Klisura.

When the god was done, there was a large group of Klisura before him.

Masters of StoneworkThe assembled Klisura stood before Salvarian, waiting for the god to speak. When it did, there were no words to disturb the tranquility of the canyon. The voice projected from Salvarian’s mind to those that the god wished to speak to.

You are now Klisura. I have bestowed this intelligence upon you for the purpose of creation. You too are now creators. Use your gifts wisely.

With the wave of a stony hand, the knowledge of crafting was bestowed upon the Klisura. It was only natural that they would use the stone of the surrounding canyons as their resource.

Make the Canyons FertileSalvarian looked upon the canyons it had created and was displeased with how barren they were. Although the Klisura were made to live in the bleak landscape, Salvarian did not want its children to suffer. The god rose up into the sky and went back to the river that now row rolled down the mountains and flowed north.

Summoning its strength, the created god carved a channel into the sand that led towards the canyons. Upon reaching the edge, the water rushed over the sides, pouring down to the canyon floor. Salvarian was pleased with the beautiful waterfall it had inadvertently created.

The water continued its way down the canyon until it reached the point where Salvarian had been covered in the mudslide. What remained was just a larger crater, which the water eagerly occupied. From here the water went no further. The ground was too dry and the water too content to continue further down the canyon.

ActionsThe EffugiarchThe Ternion left its schemata to tame the desert and once again cast its consciousness around the world, seeking some idle amusement in watching patterns play themselves out. After a time its intangible presence came to Dodeazodel, the eldest city and home to the Zoel, first of the intelligent races. They did not roam free as the schemata did, but lived their immortal lives within the confines of their temple. Those which had perished in accidents now resided inside a great orb within the temple.

The Ternion had seen how the creatures of the world all eventually weakened and died, and had built this same vulnerability into the Schemata without much consideration. The little mortals he had created had come to terms with the concept of death, and their peace with it had encroached on their creator's consciousness. For these Zoel to live unendingly was an unnatural perversion, and was against the grain of the ternionic pattern of Time.

Reaching across the world the Ternion struck down an elderly schematic who was headman of his band of nomads, and wise in the ways of the desert and the world. Before the headman's glowing schematic circle could dissipate the Ternion gathered it up and plunged it into the body of a solitary zoel fisherman as he sailed his little boat off the coast of Dodeazodel. The old schematic headman's mind and soul was entangled with that of the zoel, and the Ternion appeared before him as a three interlocking circles and commanded him to gather up what followers he could from the zoel, and to teach them the proper ways of life and death.

ExodusThe prophet of the Ternion began to gather followers among the zoel. Though most decried his heresy, it had been many ages since their creator Zel had appeared to them, and some were beginning to doubt he would ever return with the souls of the Twelve. Gathering what adherents he could the prophet left Dodeazodel in a small fleet of simple boats, never to return. In their journey across water and land, the zoel who followed him became changed, for he taught them the mysteries of life, and how to reproduce.

I: The exodus fleet came to a coast on which many grey tuskbeasts could be seen. II: The prophet bade the zoel take note the beasts of the shore. They play out great combats. For what purpose? To mate, and fortify numbers. This is the way of the World. III: The prophet bid the zoel each slay a tuskbeast.IV: The followers gained ownership of the tusks and learned to mate and fortify their numbers.

AzazazThe prophet of the Ternion led his zoel heretics to a cape far away from Dodeazodel. Here the prophet taught the zoel in his charge the secrets of death, and in so doing died. By learning the secrets of death the zoel became the azol. The prophets tomb became the centre of the first azol city, Azazaz.

I. You have learned the secrets of life.II. Now mark well the mystery of deathIII. And the Prophet died, and his soul did not persist.IV. The zoel learned how to die, and became the azol.

The azol are granite-skinned humanoids with glassy eyes and brassy voices. Unlike their ancestors the zoel they have a single horn on their head, and can reproduce and die. They are considered savage heretics by the zoel thanks to their rugged and sometimes hedonistic lifestyles. They can be found mostly on coasts where they build ships to fish and hunt water beasts. Their long experience with boats makes them exceptional sailors.

ActionsOwn the SkiesBlessed with the drive bestowed upon them by Lod, the Skafir quickly spread across their island home, erecting a network of small settlements amidst the treetops. However they were stopped upon reaching the shores of the Boiling Sea. While they were capable of flight, the air above the sea was too hot and wet for their wings, and the distance too far. No Skafir who had attempted the journey had returned, but rather than deter them, the past failures only strengthened the Skafir's resolve to find a way across

Eventually a solution would present itself. Several individuals began to notice the way that leaves would drift over the sea, only to be caught in a strong updraft and propelled skyward. Inspired by this, the Skafir began work on gliders capable of taking advantage of the steam rising off the sea. After extensive testing and iteration, a working design was created, and a small fleet was built. The gliders allowed the Skafir to fly higher, faster and farther than ever before. The Skafir now were truly the masters of flight.

Cross the Boiling SeaNow capable of making the journey, many Skafir volunteered to be a part of the maiden voyage across the Boiling Sea. The extensive work put into the design of the gliders paid off, and all of them managed to make it to the opposite shore. After some exploration, many remained behind while others returned to the island with the gliders, in order to ferry the next wave of emigrants. The Skafir quickly established themselves all around the coast of the boiling sea, while preparing for additional journeys further out into the Mistwoods.

ActionsMomrusha KoripiThough the Korpi are a modest race, with Uea's encouragement a sprawling town becomes a giant city. Not far from the sacred spot where the first Korpi was born, Momrusha Koripi (literally Waterfall City) spans both sides of the huge waterfall rushing into the Korpi's sacred sea. Despite the Korpi's welcoming nature. the city is closed to all those who are not children of Uea. Therefore the continent is known only to other races by descriptions and drawings.

Both a thriving commercial centre and a deeply religious city of cathedrals and tributes to the mother-god, it is a sight to behold, with buildings dug into the cliff faces themselves, and hanging gardens concealed behind the rushing water of the falls.

The Birth of the MemaiEua could not simply stand by and watch her sister build great works. Especially not when these... creatures of hers were so... so boring! Two eyes, two legs, two arms, smooth skin, humble homes, etc etc. Something only Uea could come up with. On one particularly mischievous day, Eua decided she would create a race with the power to mock her sisters, and indeed, all others. A race SO boring that they actually had negative personality. So easily swayed and influenced that it effected their very form. One dark night, Eua stole into Momrusha Koripi and found the dullest, drabbest monastery on the plainest bluff overlooking the falls. There lived a mute ascetic monk, sworn to a life of celibate poverty in service of his god, her sister.

With a touch, she snapped his soul from his body, leaving behind a husk which the surrounding void rushed to occupy. The man was silent for a moment, before his bones began to warp and crack, and dark veins mottled his skin. His arms grew to twice their length, his spine twisted and hunched, and his eyes clouded over with white. Eua watched as he stumbled toward the railing separating them from the 200 foot drop, and cackled with glee to see him topple over the edge. He was just one drop among a thousand thousand, and nobody heard his screams.

ActionsTake FormContinuing his tour of the creations of other gods, Borishin swept to the realm of the Koripi. Such dull, predictable things, in need of his help even more than the Skafir had been. Here there was not merely a mismatch of mind and body, the whole race seemed doomed to mediocrity. They'd have to take from something beyond themselves. Perhaps if he trimmed their edges, left them fuzzy and adaptable...

And then the livelier twin beat him to the punch. Eua's mocking parody called to him in a way no other race had. They were malleable, impressionable, and most of all-

"You are empty," he purred, circling one in its watery lair.

"Empty," it agreed blandly.

Whether through luck, skill, or a connection to them through her sister, Eua had done to the Koripi what he had failed to do to the Zoel. Stripped out the pesky driving force at their heart, the impetuous little spark that had kept him out.

"You are open," he whispered.

"Open."

"Waiting for purpose."

"Purpose."

"You. Are. Mine!"

"Mine!" The creature snapped, lips pulling back in a predatory grin.

Borishin took a moment to glory in his new body, full of sensation and ready to shift and twist into any shape he might desire. It was everything he had dreamed of, and brought only one thought to mind:

"More!"

Sing Thy GloryLeaving the fetid hovel his host had lived in, Borishin danced through the streets of the underwater village, reveling in his new flesh and singing of its magnificence.

The other Memai of the village, impressionable and feeling some echo of his emptiness, found themselves nodding along. Why wait for substance freely given, when there was so much to take? And so the Thieving Depths were born.

Over the centuries, few of the Zoel, besides those who are now the Azol, ever ventured far from the sacred temple and old shores where new Zoel awake on occasion. In the southernmost reaches of the stony forest and river canyons, and increasingly among the greener parts of the world, intrigued by life that had arisen in their navel-gazing epoch, the Zoel began to modestly harvest the land.

Masters of Life and Death

Following the wails of the lost souls throughout the World, Zel came to recover eight in his travels and learned of Borishin. The voices of the remaining four were silent to him. Looking back upon the World, Zel saw countless civilizations beginning to spring up, and inhospitable features dominated the land. It had been so very long since he had used his strength to alter the nature of anything. The part of himself he had lost creating the orb of souls that now protected against mortality in Dodeazodel had regenerated, and he had grown strong. He passed his strength on to his people, and gave them not just protected life, but power over life. The priests of Zel now find their blessings and prayers answered - lost limbs reappear overnight, ailments are cured, and the recently deceased are reanimated. The knowledge of the medicine men of Dodeazodel advanced rapidly through a series of divine epiphanies about biology and medicine. Most importantly, the Zoel are now able to interact with the souls in the orb - in their dreamlike afterlife. A few among their thousands have even been known to ask a soul to return to life and find the loved one or holy man to whom they spoke lying awake on the shores, reformed by Zel. Even the rare foreign visitor can now receive the blessings of the Zoel priesthood. Before they lived for centuries - now they are ageless.